FC Yokohama not only dropped to the bottom of the league standings, but also failed to collect any points in their opening 10 league matches after suffering a 1-4 defeat to Hokkaido's Gonzaga Sapporo at their own stadium in last weekend's thrilling match. The cracks between the team's midfield and defense are becoming more and more obvious, with openings in the midfield, worsening problems on the defensive end, and a lack of effective pressure on the ball-carrying players on the offensive end.
However, FC Yokohama has a couple of powerhouse players up front on the offensive end. I expect Azuma Yamashita to utilize his incredible explosiveness to create killers up front in this match. The Niigata Swans, on the other hand, have won only one of their last six league matches after going down 1-2 to FC Tokyo in an away challenge last Saturday.
I think Niigata Swans urgently need to improve their defense ability, because in the Japanese League, the opponent's counter-attack can often turn the game around in an instant. Therefore, the team must improve the efficiency of their offense and defense transition.
FC Yokohama often struggles against teams that specialize in attacking on the wings, so I expect Niigata Swans' wing players Shunsuke Mito and Shusuke Ota to cause their opponents a lot of trouble in this match.
